They will expel you from the synagogues

At 16,11 -15; Ps 149; Jn 15,26- 16,4a
27 MAY

The mission of Jesus starts not only with being driven out of the synagogue, but also being on the verge of being plunged down from the edge of the mountain. Hatred immediately threw everything against Him. Jesus wants to destroy Satan. Satan wants to destroy Jesus immediately.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.'” And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away (Lk 4,16-30).

We know that the decision to expel from the synagogue anyone who had recognized Jesus as the Christ had already been taken by the Jews. Hate against the truth knows no obstacles. It uses everything as long as it prevents anyone from confessing the true faith in Jesus.

Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?” His parents answered and said, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; question him” (Jn 9,18-23).

Not only will the disciples be expelled from the synagogue, but whoever kills them will think of giving glory to God. This truth announced by Jesus can only be understood in the light of Chapter XIII of Deuteronomy. Idolatry had also to be eradicated with the death of the idolaters. For the Jews, the adoration of Jesus was true idolatry. By killing every idolatry, one obeyed God and gave Him glory. Saul followed this law.

“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.  “I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.

Jesus and the disciples are one truth, one life and one body. They will necessarily be one persecution, one cross and one martyrdom. Until they will be light and will remain in the light hate will always strike against them. Instead, if they become world, they will be respected, revered, praised and celebrated. But the end will be eternal death. It is better to give the body to the cross than the soul to the fire of hell. Jesus gave his body to the cross and the Father clothed it with eternal glory. If the disciple wants to be clothed with eternal glory, he must give his body to the cross.

Mother of God, Angels and Saints, help Christians so that they never become world with the world.